VERMILLION — It was a regular season to remember for South Dakota football.
With a 9-2 record, capped off by one of the most miraculous victories in the program’s history against North Dakota State, the Coyotes claimed their first Missouri Valley Football Conference title and the No. 4 seed in the FCS Playoffs.
There were plenty of memorable moments throughout the season, but there were a few that really defined the Coyotes' season. Here are three of those season-defining moments …
Keyondray-Jones Logan starts the season off with a bang
So technically this play didn’t start the season. The USD defense actually got caught off guard against Northern State in the opening series of the season back on Aug. 29. The Wolves stormed down the field and scored a field goal to go up 3-0 in the first quarter. However, Keyondray Jones-Logan was about to make the first big play of the season.
As Northern State kicked it off, Jones-Logan fielded the kick at the three-yard line and proceeded to turn on the afterburners. After evading a few defenders, he was free and took it 97 yards for the return touchdown. It put the Coyotes up 7-3 as they went on to claim victory over the Wolves in the season-opener 45-3.
It was the first of two kickoff return touchdowns from Jones-Logan in the regular season and sent a message to the rest of the country of the deadly weapon USD possessed. The message mostly got through too as he didn’t get many more opportunities during the season to field kickoffs as teams either went away from him or kicked it out of the back of the end zone.
Regardless, it was a tone-setter, not only in the season-opener but for the rest of the season that the Coyotes were ready to put the country on notice.
Dennis Shorter lays the smackdown in Brookings
The Coyotes needed a play and needed a play in the worst way in Brookings. In the most recent edition of the Interstate Series, things had just gone about as wrong as they could have for the Coyotes.
Trailing 14-7 with 4:57 left in the game, USD was driving. On the Jacks’ 10-yard line, Aidan Bouman handed off to Travis Theis, who looked back to Bouman as he began a route out to the right side. However, Theis threw an interception on the play as SDSU took all the momentum USD had built over the offensive series.
Suddenly, the Jacks had the chance to run the clock and claim victory if the Coyotes couldn’t come up with some type of game-altering play.
Enter Dennis Shorter.
Mark Gronowski handed off to Angel Johnson on a fairly simple halfback draw. Shorter charged out of the secondary and put his helmet right on the ball. It launched backward out of Johnson’s arms and was up for grabs as it rolled. Mi’Quise Grace picked it up and ran it in for the game-tying touchdown.
No, USD did not go on to beat SDSU as the Coyotes fell in heartbreaking fashion 20-17 in overtime. However, this was the game that truly put the FCS on notice. USD walked into Brookings and was only a play or two away from winning. It cemented the Coyotes as legitimate contenders for a National Championship and Shorter’s forced fumble was the highlight of the night.
Javion Phelps becomes an unlikely hero
Was there ever any doubt that this would be the ultimate defining moment of the season? Just a few minutes early, the Coyotes were all but dead in the water. North Dakota State just finished off a back-breaking 20-play, 99-yard touchdown drive that took almost 11 minutes off the clock. The Bison went up 28-17 with just under five minutes to go and hope of a victory seemed all but lost.
But there was some magic in the air. USD went on a quick touchdown drive to make it a one-possession game with the Bison leading 28-23. After the defense forced a punt deep in NDSU’s own territory, the stage was set for what would be one of the most memorable drives in USD history.
The first big play from Phelps came a few plays before the game-winning catch. Phelps made a miraculous 23-yard catch along the sideline that was originally ruled incomplete. After further review though, Phelps somehow tapped a toe despite actively being pushed out-of-bounds. The catch set the Coyotes up at the Bison 25-yard line.
But Bouman took a sack two plays later and the clock was ticking. However, the hurry from USD to the line caused the NDSU defense a bit of confusion. And, well, Phelps explained what he saw on the very next play.
“It was a scramble to get back to the line of scrimmage,” he said. “If you’ve seen the play, it was kind of a busted coverage because whenever you watch the tape, the corner overlapped that the slot receiver. And I was just open from there. I couldn’t believe [I was that open].”
Phelps found himself with no defender near him as Bouman delivered a pass at the four-yard line. Phelps all but walked it in as USD went up 29-28. NDSU couldn’t deliver a miracle lateral play with just a few seconds left as the Coyotes clinched their first conference title in school history.
It was the defining moment of the season. However, if you ask those around the program, they hope it’s not the ultimate defining moment as the Coyotes aim to accomplish even more in the playoffs on the road to Frisco.
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